Another thing I forgot to tell you
Another thing I forgot to tell you was about my experience after the last Phish show at Alpine Valley, Wisconsin- 6/26/04...It is expeiences like this that make a Phish show so much more than just the music..it seems something memorable always seemed to happen...
After the show instead of going to my car, I walk to the hotel/resort that is behind Alpine Valley where the Dallas crew was staying and I was going to party & stay with them for the night. I got to the hotel and it is 100% people who had been at the show, and it is a 100% party. People dancing, drinking, running around, you name it, it was there. I find the dallas crew and hang out for a little bit to let the traffic die down until I thought it would be good to move my car from the main lot back to the hotel. It was supposed to be about a mile walk to my car from the resort- Doughboy offered to drive me but I said I wanted to walk because 1) it might sober me up a little bit and 2) it would be fun to go though the lots at my last normal Phish show. My reasoning ended up being correct, but I had NO idea what I was in for next.
I start out walking up this hill on a paved road. THe road seems to be going away from the lots. I can hear the people partying in the lots and see all the firewords that people are setting off. Im still kinda tripping and it really was a beautiful scene. Its really dark out, the half moon looked errie with a wisp of cloud around it, the stars are out, and i am completely by myself walking in the night. I decide that maybe the road will take me further out than I want to go, so I decide to take the most direct route to the fireworks, which appears to be just through some woods.
I push through the brush (which was pretty thick) and then all of a sudden, i am in a cornfield. Im talking like a Field of Dreams cornfield. It was the trippiest thing ever. I am sorta scared, sort of amazed, sort of thinking that this is just a special special moment. There is no one else around in this huge cornfield and the corn stalks are about waist high. I start making my way though the field, watching the fireworks, and tripping out at the fireflies that would buzz past me every once in a while, making me wonder if im losing it completely or not or if there is really a floating glowstick.
After being in the corn for about 10-15 minutes i see in the distance 2 figures. Im kinda scared that i might get shot at or arrested for tresspassing in a farmer's property. the figures get closer and I call out to them "Do you see me?" they reply relunctantly "Yes...Friend or Foe?" We figure out that we are all doing the same thing, all spun out Phish kids lost in a cornfield trying to get back to our cars. Roddick and Bill from Indiana were my new companions in this adventure, and they had a bottle of Whiskey to keep us warm. By the time we get through the cornfield, our pants are completely soaked from all the water coming off the corn (I guess the crop had just been watered). Out of the cornfield, into more brush. We can see and hear the lots still, it seems like they are not very far away. Into the brush and trees we go.
Now, imagine you are in brush so thick you cant move through it. And its so dark you cant see 1 foot in front of you. Blair Witch times ten. We move through the woods. Down a hill. Up a hill. More brush. We are in the brush for 30-45 minutes. Then our moment of Zen. we can see the parking lot. I can actually see my car. But there is one more thing- a chain link fence with slanted barb wire at the top. We try to climb over but cant. Nothing to do but to walk the fence line until we finally get out of the brush and into the parking lot. Celebration. Rejoicing. We all three hug and laugh and look at each other in the ligh for the first time. What a great experience- this is why I go to Phish shows. This is adventure. A little stupid maybe, but Im still alive and smiling.
So, after an hour and a half I get in my car, drive (on the road this time) to the resort (which was about a 5 minute drive). The party is still going, actually I think it was just getting started. We drink, we dance, we meet people from all over the country. I passed out on the floor of the Dallas Crew's room at about 5 am. What a night.
I love Wisconsin corn farmers and I love Phish. That was something I forgot to tell you.
After the show instead of going to my car, I walk to the hotel/resort that is behind Alpine Valley where the Dallas crew was staying and I was going to party & stay with them for the night. I got to the hotel and it is 100% people who had been at the show, and it is a 100% party. People dancing, drinking, running around, you name it, it was there. I find the dallas crew and hang out for a little bit to let the traffic die down until I thought it would be good to move my car from the main lot back to the hotel. It was supposed to be about a mile walk to my car from the resort- Doughboy offered to drive me but I said I wanted to walk because 1) it might sober me up a little bit and 2) it would be fun to go though the lots at my last normal Phish show. My reasoning ended up being correct, but I had NO idea what I was in for next.
I start out walking up this hill on a paved road. THe road seems to be going away from the lots. I can hear the people partying in the lots and see all the firewords that people are setting off. Im still kinda tripping and it really was a beautiful scene. Its really dark out, the half moon looked errie with a wisp of cloud around it, the stars are out, and i am completely by myself walking in the night. I decide that maybe the road will take me further out than I want to go, so I decide to take the most direct route to the fireworks, which appears to be just through some woods.
I push through the brush (which was pretty thick) and then all of a sudden, i am in a cornfield. Im talking like a Field of Dreams cornfield. It was the trippiest thing ever. I am sorta scared, sort of amazed, sort of thinking that this is just a special special moment. There is no one else around in this huge cornfield and the corn stalks are about waist high. I start making my way though the field, watching the fireworks, and tripping out at the fireflies that would buzz past me every once in a while, making me wonder if im losing it completely or not or if there is really a floating glowstick.
After being in the corn for about 10-15 minutes i see in the distance 2 figures. Im kinda scared that i might get shot at or arrested for tresspassing in a farmer's property. the figures get closer and I call out to them "Do you see me?" they reply relunctantly "Yes...Friend or Foe?" We figure out that we are all doing the same thing, all spun out Phish kids lost in a cornfield trying to get back to our cars. Roddick and Bill from Indiana were my new companions in this adventure, and they had a bottle of Whiskey to keep us warm. By the time we get through the cornfield, our pants are completely soaked from all the water coming off the corn (I guess the crop had just been watered). Out of the cornfield, into more brush. We can see and hear the lots still, it seems like they are not very far away. Into the brush and trees we go.
Now, imagine you are in brush so thick you cant move through it. And its so dark you cant see 1 foot in front of you. Blair Witch times ten. We move through the woods. Down a hill. Up a hill. More brush. We are in the brush for 30-45 minutes. Then our moment of Zen. we can see the parking lot. I can actually see my car. But there is one more thing- a chain link fence with slanted barb wire at the top. We try to climb over but cant. Nothing to do but to walk the fence line until we finally get out of the brush and into the parking lot. Celebration. Rejoicing. We all three hug and laugh and look at each other in the ligh for the first time. What a great experience- this is why I go to Phish shows. This is adventure. A little stupid maybe, but Im still alive and smiling.
So, after an hour and a half I get in my car, drive (on the road this time) to the resort (which was about a 5 minute drive). The party is still going, actually I think it was just getting started. We drink, we dance, we meet people from all over the country. I passed out on the floor of the Dallas Crew's room at about 5 am. What a night.
I love Wisconsin corn farmers and I love Phish. That was something I forgot to tell you.
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